NEWS

On Thursday, September 25th, Borough President James Oddo announced that he has allocated $380,000 in capital funding to the Staten Island District Attorney’s Office. The money will fund an overhaul of the videotaping system which produces footage for Grand Jury proceedings, trials and for use in their control room, line-up room, and witness room, as well as their media and conference center into a video recording system. The new system will replace the old system, last updated in 2005, which has fallen behind current industry standards.

“One of the first people I met with after becoming Borough President was District Attorney Dan Donovan,” said Borough President Oddo. “I wanted him to know that we at Borough Hall were committed to doing everything we could to assist him in his critical role as chief law enforcement officer on Staten Island, including help with capital dollars. Technology has come a long way in a few short years and it’s imperative that the District Attorney’s Office utilize an up-to-date system.”

The project will digitize the recording process, making high quality imaging available during necessary proceedings. Cameras and audio equipment will be replaced in the line-up room, the witness room and the media and conference center. In addition, the control room will get a total overhaul of equipment, which will improve the image quality and sound, converting the analog-based video-taping system into a server-based HD video-recording system.

In addition, an archive system will make it much more time efficient for prosecutors to locate footage needed for their cases. The new system will allow the DA’s office to export victim/witness/defendant videos directly onto ADA’s computers and create a more secure method of storing interviews.

“This much-needed upgrade will bring the outdated technology in my office into the next century. Interviewing victims, witnesses and defendants is the foundation on which strong cases are built,” said Richmond County District Attorney Daniel M. Donovan, Jr. “I want to thank Borough President Oddo for this capital funding, which will allow my office to better serve the people of Staten Island.”